5A.3: Constituents are Well-Served by Outreach Programs

Sauk is engaged in responding to the needs of its community by providing meaningful outreach in many forms:

Adult Education (): The Adult Education Office helps adults earn a GED or improve English language skills and encourages them to transition to higher education or vocational training. Currently, over 21% of Sauk's district population over the age of 25 does not have a GED or high school diploma and 7.2% are in need of ESL services. Funded through a combination of federal and state grants, the Adult Education Office serves about 350 students per year with on- and off-campus services (see Figure 5i). Figure 5i: Adult Education Enrollment

FY07

FY08

FY09

FY10

FY11

GED (ABE & ASE)

240

201

290

271

233

ESL

73

82

108

87

90

Totals

313

283

398

358

323

Source: Adult Education Office

Adult Literacy (): For almost 25 years, Sauk has hosted Project VITAL, a state grant-funded literacy program that recruits and trains tutors to provide free one-on-one tutoring services to adults who are unable to read at a 9th-grade level. In FY10, Project VITAL had 82 tutors working with 115 students in excess of 690 hours per month in 60 towns within the college district (see Figure 5ii). Figure 5ii: Students in VITAL

FY07

FY08

FY09

FY10

FY11*

ABE students

134

133

98

79

80

ESL students

65

71

92

108

85

Total students

199

204

190

185

165

Volunteer tutors

120

124

133

103

92

Tutoring hours

6,731

5,867

5,175

3,171

3,059

* FY11 data is for the 1st 3 quarters onlySource: Project VITAL

Dislocated Workers Center (): The Dislocated Workers Center provides employment-related services to employers and job seekers under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Sauk collaborates with Illinois Valley Community College to share a program that serves Lee, Bureau, Putnam and LaSalle counties, with a full-time coordinator housed at Sauk. In the past eight years, the case load at Sauk has increased from serving an average of 85 people per year to serving over 240 people per year. Individuals served at the Center can enroll in college training programs, receive job search assistance, or both. For employers, the Center offers referrals, pre-screening of applicants, and on-the-job training. All professional services are at no expense to either the business or individual.

AmeriCorps (): ABC AmeriCorps' mission is to "work with children, youth and families in education programs and community-based agencies to increase academic and life skills.” AmeriCorps uses federal funds and local contributions to provide district schools and human service agencies with trained volunteers, who receive education vouchers. It has increased the number of Sauk’s community partnerships while meeting a variety of needs: providing education, tutoring, and mentoring activities for the area’s children, youth, and families as well as environmental, public safety, homeland security, and other human service needs (see Figure 5iii). Figure 5iii: AmeriCorps

Business and Corporate Training (): Sauk develops and conducts training programs designed to meet a local employer’s specific training needs. Trainers adapt content to specific company requirements with training conducted on-site or on campus. Logistical details, such as scheduling, location, credit or non-credit, are coordinated to meet the needs of the company and its employees (see Figure 5iv). Figure 5iv: Corporate Training

FY07

FY08

FY09

FY10

FY11

Organizations

10

18

9

5

7

Courses/workshops

37

233

283

6

10

Contact hours

9,360

8,787

14,979

3,015

4,992

Trainees (duplicated)

1,296

2,249

2,040

295

191

Source: Personal and Professional Development Office

Personal and Professional Development (PPD) Department (): PPD serves over 3,000 people annually through a variety of programs (see Figure 5v):

Personal Enrichment courses allow students to gain new skills, improve their personal lives, or just indulge in the enjoyment of learning. About 250 public class programs are offered each semester.

Pre-professional preparation courses develop the skills required to join the workforce by obtaining a credit or non-credit certificate, such as Commercial Truck Driving, Dental Assisting, Pharmacy Technician, and Professional Medical Coding. Some individual courses, including Food Sanitation, Home Inspection, and Commercial Truck Driving, are designed to prepare the student to meet certification requirements and prepare for license testing.

Professional Enrichment courses are intended to quickly develop new skills and knowledge to help students advance in their current jobs or make a career change. Topics include OSHA safety, soft skills, and software applications.

Online programs, provided through partnerships with Ed2Go and Gatlin Education, allow students access to more than 100 online programs focused on workplace skills.

College for Kids is a long-standing enrichment program for youth. To avoid competing with other providers of youth recreational programming, College for Kids was recently refocused on academic enrichment, including trips to local and regional museums and academic camps.

A variety of non-class activities are initiated by the PPD staff, including events and conferences, such as the annual spring Child Fair, daytrips throughout the region, and longer trips in partnership with educational tour providers.